Black Mirror, the British anthology series created by Charlie Brooker, will return in June for its sixth season. The not-so-distant dystopian settings will be back in a small set of episodes, just like in previous seasons, showing the dangers of humanity’s relationship with technology. Five new thrilling episodes are set to hit the Netflix catalog next month, and though long fans of the series couldn’t be more excited, there’s the elephant in the room.
With more than 20 episodes so far, special and interactive features included, Black Mirror remains a cult classic. Far from criticism of declining quality, and with some entries being logically better than others, the show is already over a decade old and has changed a lot throughout the years.
The initial concept of the series has evolved as well, and Brooker’s show has had to adapt to the world’s changes. Despite this sounds like the case for anything in the media, Black Mirror started as a novelty (and horrific) idea that soon became the norm in many ways. That’s why both the last season and the upcoming one might not be as impressive as expected.
How Black Mirror Started
On 4 December 2011, The National Anthem, Black Mirror’s first episode, premiered on British TV’s Channel 4. The scandalous idea behind the show’s debut showed a terrorist group kidnapping a beloved royal family member from the British Crown, asking for a peculiar act to free them: making the English Prime Minister perform an act of bestiality in public television. The episode not only followed the Premier’s story but also the role of the media and public opinion and the sudden shifts of the latter under the influence of the former.
The show was an instant hit, and two more episodes were part of the first series. With a second entry in a dystopian show-biz-based setting and a third one more focused on social technology and relationships, the concept was very clear. Not only did Black Mirror point out the hazards of our cultural bond with technology, but also the fact that anything in the series could soon happen.
The more futuristic entries serve more as a metaphor or exaggeration to an absurd level by virtue of storytelling, so a non-linear interpretation would result in realistic scenarios of humanity’s fate. The pessimistic spirit and structure of the first series would eventually be reused for the following seasons.
Black Mirror’s first two series and a special were produced by Channel 4, whereas the third, fourth, and fifth seasons and the interactive special were picked up by Netflix.
The streaming giant brought new life to Black Mirror with a couple of twists. Despite Broker reprising his role as writer, the plots became more dystopian, with the absurdity of technology’s evolution becoming more evident. This was related to the exponential growth of devices and social media in people’s lives between 2011 and 2017, the year Netflix resurrected Black Mirror.
And then, the pandemic hit.
What Black Mirror Season Six Looks Like
COVID-19 made the world go through an almost dystopian setting. Not even the genius mind of Charlie Broker couldn’t envision such a scenario, but also the need for technology during this period accelerated once more the adoption of new technologies–and all of their misuses, as well. Black Mirror series fifth premiered in 2019, which looks like ages ago, and it’s not really the show that changed, but the world around it.
In this context, Netflix surfaced a trailer for the sixth season. The short video features some of the upcoming settings for the series as well as the guest stars in it, like Salma Hayek Pinault, Michael Cera, and Aaron Paul. The first episode will follow a “Truman Show turned bad” plot line. The second one follows a couple in a Scottish town drawn by some local legend to document. The third will be a retro-futuristic story set in an alternate 1969, while the fourth is a “star in disgrace” story. The last one takes place in 1979, with a timid character trying to prevent a disaster in unsuspected ways.
The trailer features the show’s typical music and darkly-comedic tone. Yet, something that stands out from it is the amount of violence already present in the trailer. In contrast to the first seasons, where violence is present, but it works as a persisting menace rather than a visual constant, the sixth series clearly has taken the road of the Netflix seasons, accentuating the thriller aspect of the show rather than the not-so-distant dystopia.
Needless to say, this will still be present, but it seems to have taken the passenger’s seat in a show who used to imagine the worst, yet possible, scenarios until reality went further. It’s not a matter of quality or originality but one of context complex enough to outgrow modern nightmares. Broker’s work is still amazing, and this new season will certainly hit some high notes. However, what once was an enticing and creepy interpretation of current society is now just a formula for a good thriller.
Charlie Broker might still have a trick or two under the sleeve to surprise audiences. Still, the sixth series looks more like an entertaining thriller than a dark omen of the near future. As Black Mirror’s new season premieres in June, some viewers will turn to the news for dystopian scenes and keep Black Mirror as a “comfort” show.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
